Cobb Sheriff’s Office chief of staff charged with insurance fraud

Maj. Braxton Tyree Cotton, the chief of staff for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and making false statements. Cotton, 41, of Atlanta, turned himself in to his own employer after he was charged Friday.

According to jail records, Cotton was booked into the Cobb County jail around 11:40 a.m. and released less than an hour later on his own recognizance.

Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens issued a statement that Cotton had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation. “The investigation is unrelated to his duties at the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Owens will await the culmination of a fair trial before further commenting on the case,” he said.

Cotton’s job includes “synchronizing executive operations at the Sheriff’s Office, the department’s website shows. Cotton is a U.S. Army reservist and has held various roles in the U.S. Army’s infantry, psychological operations, logistics and military intelligence. Cotton has also worked as a police officer, deputy sheriff, and state trooper, according to the website.